Combination bottle and can cooler

ABSTRACT

An insulating holder for holding a beverage in a bottle or a can having a lower cylindrical enclosure which receives an upper cylindrical enclosure. The lower cylindrical enclosure has vertical ribs to frictionally grip the upper cylindrical enclosure. The upper cylindrical enclosure is adapted to cover the top portion of a bottle inserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure and to snuggly receive a can when inverted and inserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.10/791,087 filed Mar. 2, 2004, entitled DUAL FUNCTION INSULATING HOLDERFOR BOTTLE OR CAN.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements in holders for maintainingcold containerized liquids in a cool state and more particularlypertains to a new and improved lightweight portable holder for either abottle or a can.

2. Description of Related Art

A number of structures for insulating containers have been proposed inthe prior art. Perhaps the most familiar structure is the cylindricalfoam jacket or sleeve conventionally used to cool standard cylindricalcans containing beer, soda and the like. Such devices are typicallyinadequate and only partially effective when it comes to a bottle. Otherstructures exhibit practical drawbacks in that they leave the bottlecontents partially exposed or employ cumbersome attachment mechanismssuch as mechanical clasps or snaps.

Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,804 discloses a bottle insulating devicehaving a lower cylindrical enclosure which telescopically receives anupper cylindrical enclosure having a dome-shaped upper end and anopening therein of a diameter selected to determine the extent to whichthe upper cylindrical enclosure slides down the bottle neck and, hence,the extent to which the upper cylindrical enclosure extends into thelower cylindrical enclosure.

Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,155 discloses an insulating device forbottles having a lower cylindrical enclosure which telescopicallyreceives an upper cylindrical enclosure having a dome-shaped upper end,the upper and lower cylindrical enclosures being provided with matingthreads adapted to achieve a plunge insertion and sealing feature.

While these structures exhibit advantages over other prior art coolerdevices, it has become apparent to applicant that further improvementscould provide even a more useful and effective cooler apparatus,especially in the provision of a single apparatus that can accommodateboth a bottle and a can which can easily be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An insulating holder having a lower cylindrical enclosure receives anupper cylindrical enclosure which has a dome-shaped upper end. The upperand lower cylindrical enclosures fit together by the upper cylindricalenclosure sliding into the lower cylindrical enclosure. The lowercylindrical enclosure has a plurality of ribs integral with the interiorwall of the lower cylindrical enclosure to aid in frictionally grippingthe upper cylindrical enclosure when the upper cylindrical enclosure isslid into the lower cylindrical enclosure. Each rib can have a uniformprotrusion along the vertical axis of the lower cylindrical enclosure orthe protrusion can be gradually tapered vertically such that rib has asmaller protrusion near the top of the lower cylindrical enclosure and alarger protrusion near the bottom of the lower cylindrical enclosure.When the upper cylindrical enclosure is inserted into the lowercylindrical enclosure with the dome-shaped upper end on top, theinsulating holder accommodates a variety of different sizes of beveragebottles. When the upper cylindrical enclosure is inserted into the lowercylindrical enclosure with the dome-shaped end, the insulating holderaccommodates a variety of different sized beverage cans inserted intothe upper cylindrical enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects andadvantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration ofthe following specification in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference numerals designate like partsthroughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention taken along a line 3-3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 without shims depicting analternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 without shims depicting analternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention showing only the lower cylinder.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 taken along a line 8-8.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 taken along a line 9-9.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 taken along the line 9-9depicting an alternate embodiment of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 taken along a line 12-12.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 taken along a line 13-13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of theinvention which set forth the best modes contemplated to carry out theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with thepreferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intendedto limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications andequivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in thefollowing detailed description of the present invention, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious toone of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well knownmethods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described indetail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an insulating holder 28 of a first preferredembodiment, which includes a lower cylindrical enclosure 10 and an uppercylindrical enclosure 4. Both the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 and thelower cylindrical enclosure 10 are preferably formed out of a relativelyrigid insulating material such as, for example, Styrofoam, whichprovides structural integrity as well as insulating properties. Both theupper cylindrical enclosure 4 and lower cylindrical enclosure 10 areshown installed about a bottle 26 (in phantom). The bottle 26 isgenerally formed to have a side and a neck, in which the neck generallyincreases in diameter from the top capped part to a shoulder area (notshown).

To hold the bottle 26, the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 can have adepth sized to receive at least one-fourth of the length of the bottle26. The general construction of the upper and lower cylindricalenclosures 4 and 10, respectively, are more completely described inapplicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,390,804 and 6,554,155, the disclosures ofwhich are both incorporated herein by reference.

The upper cylindrical enclosure 4 has a dome-shaped first end 30, asecond circular rim end 22, a circular opening 12, an interior wall 32,and a plurality of shims 6 located on the interior wall 32. It isinserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure 10. The lower cylindricalenclosure 4 comprises a top portion 16 and a bottom portion 18. Lowercylindrical enclosure 4 also has a plurality of vertical ribs 14 on aninterior wall 24 (not shown) of the lower cylindrical enclosure 4 tofrictionally grip the upper cylindrical enclosure 4. While FIG. 1depicts a plurality of vertical ribs 14, it is contemplated, however,that utilizing only one vertical rib may be sufficient to frictionallygrip the upper cylindrical enclosure 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of shims 6 are located on theinterior wall 32 of the upper cylindrical enclosure 4. As more clearlyshown in FIG. 3, the shims 6 are integral with the interior wall 32 ofthe upper cylindrical enclosure 4. Each shim is constructed in the formof an open blister. The dimensions of upper cylindrical enclosure 4 andthe shims 6 therein are such that a variety of bottle sizes can beaccommodated by the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 when it inserts intothe lower cylindrical enclosure 10.

Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vertical ribs 14 located on theinterior wall 24 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 are constructedsuch that the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 can be inserted into thelower cylindrical enclosure 10 with the second circular rim end 22 ofthe upper cylindrical enclosure 10 going into the lower cylindricalenclosure 4 first, as shown in FIG. 1, or with the first dome-shaped end30 of the upper cylindrical enclosure 10 going into the lowercylindrical enclosure 4 first (not shown).

By this construction, the insulating holder 28, can be used to hold thebottle 26 by having the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 inserted into thelower cylindrical enclosure 10 in one direction as seen in FIG. 1 andhold a can by reversing the direction of insertion of the uppercylindrical enclosure 4 into the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 (notshown).

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 take along a line 2-2. As can beseen, the plurality of vertical ribs 14 are preferably elongated andprotrude slightly from an interior wall 24 of the lower cylindricalenclosure 10 such that the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 is snuggly fitinto the lower cylindrical enclosure 4. This allows the plurality ofvertical ribs 14 to frictionally grip the upper cylindrical enclosure 4.Thus, when the insulating holder 28 is tilted at an angle, uppercylindrical enclosure 10 will remain substantially in place or will exitlower cylindrical enclosure 4 at a reduced speed. This allows a user todrink the contents of the bottle 26 or a can without worrying about theupper cylindrical enclosure 4 and the bottle 26 or can falling out oflower cylindrical enclosure 4.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 taken along a line 3-3. As seen inFIG. 3, the vertical ribs 14 a-h can be arranged in pairs on theinterior wall 24 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10. Each pair ofvertical ribs is comprised of a first vertical rib and a second verticalrib such that the distance between the first vertical rib and the secondvertical rib can be less than the distance between the first verticalrib and any other plurality of vertical ribs and can also be less thanthe distance between the second vertical rib and any other plurality ofvertical ribs. For example, vertical ribs 14 a and 14 b, 14 c and 14 d,14 e and 14 f, and 14 g and 14 h, form four pairs of vertical ribs.Furthermore, each pair of vertical ribs can be substantially evenlyspaced out on the interior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosure 4.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 taken along a line 3-3 depicting analternate embodiment. As seen in FIG. 4 the number of vertical ribs canbe varied. In FIG. 4, vertical ribs 14 i-r are arranged in pairs on theinterior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosure 4. Like FIG. 3, eachpair of vertical ribs is comprised of a first vertical rib and a secondvertical rib such that the distance between the first vertical rib andthe second vertical rib can be less than the distance between the firstvertical rib and any other plurality of vertical ribs and can also beless than the distance between the second vertical rib and any otherplurality of vertical ribs. Thus, vertical ribs 14 i and 14 j, 14 k and14 l, 14 m and 14 n, 14 o and 14 p, and 14 q and 14 r, form five pairsof vertical ribs. Furthermore, each pair of vertical ribs can besubstantially evenly spaced out on the interior wall of the lowercylindrical enclosure 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of FIG. 1 without shims 6depicting an alternate embodiment. In FIG. 5 and 6, tapered verticalribs 20 are tapered such that they are thinner near the top portion 16of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 and thicker near the bottomportion 18 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10. FIGS. 5 and 6 show theupper cylindrical enclosure 4 as it is pushed into lower cylindricalenclosure 10. As can be seen, the further upper cylindrical enclosure 4is pushed into lower cylindrical enclosure 10, the greater theresistance upper cylindrical enclosure 4 faces from the tapered verticalribs 20. When pushing the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 all the way intolower cylindrical enclosure 10, the upper cylindrical enclosure 4 may beslightly deformed by the tapered vertical ribs 20 while the taperedvertical ribs 20 maintain a grip on the upper cylindrical enclosure 4.Thus, when the insulating holder 28 is tilted at an angle, uppercylindrical enclosure 10 will remain substantially in place or will exitlower cylindrical enclosure 4 at a reduced speed. This allows a user todrink the contents of the bottle 26 or a can without worrying about theupper cylindrical enclosure 4 and the bottle 26 or can falling out oflower cylindrical enclosure 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 without the upper cylindricalenclosure 4. Lower cylindrical enclosure 10 has a plurality of verticalribs 14.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section of FIG. 7 taken along a line 8-8. As can beseen in FIG. 8, the plurality of vertical ribs 14 are preferablyelongated and protrude slightly from the interior wall 24 of the lowercylindrical enclosure 10.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of FIG. 7 taken along a line 9-9. As can beseen in FIG. 9, vertical ribs 14 a-h form four pairs of vertical ribsalong interior wall 24 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10.

FIG. 10 is a cross-section of FIG. 7 taken along a line 9-9 whichdepicts an alternate embodiment. As can be seen in FIG. 10, verticalribs 14 i-r form five pairs of vertical ribs along interior wall 24 ofthe lower cylindrical enclosure 10.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 11 has a cylindrical recess 34 in the interior wall 24around a top portion 16 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10. Thecylindrical recess 34 is configured so that the diameter of the interiorwall 24 at the cylindrical recess 34 is greater than the diameter of theinterior wall 24 at all other locations of the lower cylindricalenclosure 10. The cylindrical recess 34 is designed to facilitateinsertion of an upper cylindrical enclosure 4 into the lower cylindricalenclosure 10 by an unobservant user.

FIG. 11 also depicts the use of 8 vertical ribs substantially evenlyspaced along the interior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10.The advantage of having the vertical ribs evenly spaced along theinterior wall is that tolerance variations inherent in the manufacturingprocess for these parts by different manufacturers will not affect thesnug fit expected between the upper enclosure 4 and lower enclosure 10.

FIG. 12 is a cross-section of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 of FIG.11, taken along a line 12-12. FIG. 12 more clearly illustrates thecylindrical recess 34 in the interior wall 24 around a top rim 16 of thelower cylindrical enclosure 10.

FIG. 13 is a cross-section of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10 of FIG.11, taken along a line 13-13. FIG. 13 more clearly illustrates the 8vertical ribs 14 z substantially evenly spaced around the interior wall24 of the lower cylindrical enclosure 10.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations andmodifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can beconfigured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the amendedclaims, the invention may be practiced other than as specificallydescribed herein.

1. An insulating holder for a rigid bottle having a top with a neck thatincreases in diameter down its length, and a bottom, or for a beveragecan that is generally cylindrical with a substantially flat top andbottom, the insulating holder comprising: a lower cylindrical enclosurecomprising an interior wall; an invertible upper cylindrical enclosure;and at least one vertical rib protruding from the interior wall of thelower cylindrical enclosure to frictionally grip the invertible uppercylindrical enclosure when the invertible upper cylindrical enclosure isinserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 2. The insulating holderof claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of vertical ribs.
 3. Theinsulating holder of claim 1 wherein the lower cylindrical enclosurefurther comprises a top and a bottom, and wherein one or more of the atleast one vertical rib is tapered such that the protrusion by one ormore of the vertical ribs is greater near the bottom of the lowercylindrical enclosure than near the top of the lower cylindricalenclosure.
 4. The insulating holder of claim 2 wherein the number of theplurality of vertical ribs is an even number.
 5. The insulating holderof claim 4 wherein the plurality of vertical ribs are arranged in pairsof vertical ribs along the interior wall of the lower cylindricalenclosure wherein each pair of vertical ribs is comprised of a firstvertical rib and a second vertical rib such that the distance betweenthe first vertical rib and the second vertical rib is less than thedistance between the first vertical rib and any other plurality ofvertical ribs and is also less than the distance between the secondvertical rib and any other plurality of vertical ribs.
 6. The insulatingholder of claim 5 wherein the pairs of vertical ribs are substantiallyevenly spaced apart along the interior wall of the lower cylindricalenclosure.
 7. The insulating holder of claim 6 wherein there are 4 pairsof vertical ribs.
 8. The insulating holder of claim 2 wherein the lowercylindrical enclosure has a depth sized to receive at least one-fourthof the length of the bottle.
 9. The insulating holder of claim 2 furtherwherein the lower cylindrical enclosure is formed of insulating foammaterial for thermally insulating the rigid bottle.
 10. The insulatingholder of claim 9 wherein the invertible upper cylindrical enclosurefurther comprises a first end and a second end, and is formed ofinsulating foam material for thermally insulating the rigid bottle, theupper cylindrical enclosure having a dome-shaped first end integrallyformed into a cylindrical section that terminates in a circular rim at asecond end capable of being fit into the cylindrical interior of thelower cylindrical enclosure; the first dome-shaped end having a circularopening therein extending into a cylindrical interior, the opening sizedto pass the top of the rigid bottle and come into a locking relationwith the neck of the rigid bottle somewhere along the neck, thecylindrical section of the upper cylindrical enclosure enclosing atleast a portion of the rigid bottle, whereby the invertible uppercylindrical enclosure can be inserted into the lower cylindricalenclosure second end first or first end first.
 11. The insulating holderof claim 10 further comprising a shim structure located in thecylindrical interior of the upper cylindrical enclosure; the shimstructure adapted to grasp the exterior of a cylindrical beverage canpushed through the circular rim and into the cylindrical section. 12.The insulating holder of claim 1 wherein the lower cylindrical enclosurefurther comprises a cylindrical recess in the interior wall around a topportion of the lower cylindrical enclosure wherein a diameter of theinterior wall at the cylindrical recess is greater than a diameter ofthe interior wall at all other locations of the lower cylindricalenclosure.
 13. The insulating holder of claim 12 wherein there are 8vertical ribs.
 14. The insulating holder of claim 13 wherein the 8vertical ribs are substantially evenly spaced apart along the interiorwall of the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 15. An insulating holder for arigid bottle having a top with a neck that increases in diameter downits length, and a bottom, or for a beverage can that is generallycylindrical with a substantially flat top and bottom, the insulatingholder comprising: a lower cylindrical enclosure comprising an interiorwall, a top, and a bottom, wherein the lower cylindrical enclosure isformed of insulating foam material for thermally insulating the rigidbottle and has a depth sized to receive at least one-fourth of thelength of the rigid bottle; an invertible upper cylindrical enclosure;and a plurality of vertical ribs protruding from the interior wall ofthe lower cylindrical enclosure to frictionally grip the invertibleupper cylindrical enclosure when the invertible upper cylindricalenclosure is inserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 16. Theinsulating holder of claim 15 wherein the number of the plurality ofvertical ribs is an even number.
 17. The insulating holder of claim 15wherein one or more of the plurality of vertical ribs is tapered suchthat the protrusion by one or more of the plurality of vertical ribs isgreater near the bottom of the lower cylindrical enclosure than near thetop of the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 18. The insulating holder ofclaim 16 wherein the plurality of vertical ribs are arranged in pairs ofvertical ribs along the interior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosurewherein each pair vertical ribs is comprised of a first vertical rib anda second vertical rib such that the distance between the first verticalrib and the second vertical rib is less than the distance between thefirst vertical rib and any other plurality of vertical ribs and is alsoless than the distance between the second vertical rib and any otherplurality of vertical ribs.
 19. The insulating holder of claim 18wherein the pairs of vertical ribs are substantially evenly spaced apartalong the interior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 20. Theinsulating holder of claim 16 wherein the invertible upper cylindricalenclosure further comprises a first end and a second end, and is formedof insulating foam material for thermally insulating the rigid bottle,the upper cylindrical enclosure having a dome-shaped first endintegrally formed into a cylindrical section that terminates in acircular rim at a second end capable of being fit into the cylindricalinterior of the lower cylindrical enclosure; the first dome-shaped endhaving a circular opening therein extending into a cylindrical interior,the opening sized to pass the top of the rigid bottle and come into alocking relation with the neck of the rigid bottle somewhere along theneck, the cylindrical section of the upper cylindrical enclosureenclosing at least a portion of the rigid bottle, whereby the invertibleupper cylindrical enclosure can be inserted into the lower cylindricalenclosure second end first or first end first.
 21. The insulating holderof claim 20 further comprising a shim structure located in thecylindrical interior of the upper cylindrical enclosure; the shimstructure adapted to grasp the exterior of a cylindrical beverage canpushed through the circular rim and into the cylindrical section. 22.The insulating holder of claim 15 further comprising 8 vertical ribs.23. The insulating holder of claim 22 wherein the 8 vertical ribs aresubstantially evenly spaced along the interior wall of the lowercylindrical enclosure.
 24. An insulating holder for a rigid bottlehaving a top with a neck that increases in diameter down its length, anda bottom, or for a beverage can that is generally cylindrical with asubstantially flat top and bottom, the insulating holder comprising: alower cylindrical enclosure formed of insulating foam material forthermally insulating the rigid bottle, the lower cylindrical enclosurecomprising an interior wall, a first end, and a second end, the firstend closed and the second end opening into a cylindrical interior forreceiving the bottom half of the rigid bottle; an invertible uppercylindrical enclosure; a plurality of vertical ribs protruding from theinterior wall of the lower cylindrical enclosure to frictionally gripthe invertible upper cylindrical enclosure when the invertible uppercylindrical enclosure is inserted into the lower cylindrical enclosure;and a cylindrical recess in the interior wall around a top portion ofthe lower cylindrical enclosure wherein a diameter of the interior wallat the cylindrical recess is greater than a diameter of the interiorwall at all other locations of the lower cylindrical enclosure, wherebythe invertible upper cylindrical enclosure can be inserted into thelower cylindrical enclosure second end first or first end first.
 25. Theinsulating holder of claim 24 wherein the plurality of vertical ribs arearranged in pairs of vertical ribs along the interior wall of the lowercylindrical enclosure wherein each pair of vertical ribs is comprised ofa first vertical rib and a second vertical rib such that the distancebetween the first vertical rib and the second vertical rib is less thanthe distance between the first vertical rib and any other plurality ofvertical ribs and is also less than the distance between the secondvertical rib and any other plurality of vertical ribs
 26. The insulatingholder of claim 25 wherein one or more of the plurality of vertical ribsis tapered such that the protrusion by one or more of the plurality ofvertical ribs is greater near the bottom of the lower cylindricalenclosure than near the top of the lower cylindrical enclosure.
 27. Theinsulating holder of claim 26 wherein there are 8 vertical ribssubstantially evenly spaced along the interior wall of the lowercylindrical enclosure.